Hi everyone. I am wondering if anyone out there does falconry for hobby or hire out? We have a situation going on where we have to many crows in town and they have hired a man to help keep them away by using his falcon. Good pay also. I have always wanted to do this and I would like to know how you get started, ups and downs about it. If anyone can give me any information it would be appreciated.

There's a guy in my kingdom (SCA) that is a falconer. Also there's another man locally who raises birds of prey and rehabilitates injured ones...I'll see if I can chase them in your direction. Both are really nice.

Hello Red Feather. Thank you for replying. I was curious as how does one know a good bird from another and how does one get started? I have heard you can buy already trainned birds. Do you know anything about that? Are the birds registered? Sorry for all the questions

This is all new to me and I am just really curious about it. Thank you.

To become a Falconer you must first find a Falconer that will take you as an apprentice! Once you have that, go with them on a few hunts to see if this is really something for you. It requires daily work with your new partner, that means no vacations unless you can talk your teacher into feeding your bird while you are gone. You will need a very good source of food, I have set-up a deal with a local hatchery and take the baby chicks they discard. My last bird was a large Redtail hen with a wing span of 55 inches, requiring 3 to 4 chicks per day when not hunting. The bird will feed itself when hunting. If you are in the United States there is a Federal test you must pass along with an inspection by your local State Game & Fish dept.. They will make sure you have all the needed items to properly care for your bird, including medical care. Your Falconry sponsor will teach everything you need to know. Two years as an apprentice, during which time you can only have one bird! One is plenty of work so don't be too eager! Five years as a General Class Falconer, during which you may have two birds and you can up-grade to Harris Hawks which will hunt together. Then in your eighth year you become a Master Falconer, and you guessed it three birds or at this time you may chose to hunt with a Golden Eagle! Way much work, and can be very dangerous. Now there is just enough to cause you to ask questions! So, please ask and I will be most happy to answer them one at a time. Just as a foot note, a moderate sized Redtail has around 200 PSI per toe of grip with there feet! That is enough to crush a Squirrels rib cage or make you cry if they grab you just right!

Thank you so much for all of this information. There is a lot more to all of this sounds like a full time job. The birds are just beautiful and to be highly respected. I envy you in being a Master Falconer.

I was wondering did you ever have a bird fly away and not come back? The last demonstration I saw was at night of course and the bird had jingle bells on so you could tell where it was at. I would think this would be heard by its prey also.

Which is better to hunt with a male or a female or either.? Around here to catch the bird you use a trap that the teeth are covered in leather set it on a post. Someone was telling me with the Golden Eagle you can even hunt sheep. I think about how much he could injure you..may be I still to canarys...lol Another question then I will stop. Do you always want to keep hoods on when not hunting? This is so interesting. Sorry for all of the questions..

Greetings! I have had a bird leave, it is sometimes unavoidable...I prefer to hunt with hens as they are both fast and slightly more agressive than the Tercels! the Golden eagles are often used to hunt Wolf and Cayote. The bird quickly learns to not rattle the bells when it counts, and I enjoy the questions.....

Hi Red Feather, I was wondering if you have ever heard of this? To catch a hawk you use a trap wrapped with leather put it up on a post of the fence and they go to land on it and it snaps without hurting the bird. I think it is all very fasinating. Any websites out there you recommend?